The Universal Scalar Field Theory (USFT) describes gravity as spacetime curvature emergent from a single quantized scalar field. In this framework, the field’s vacuum fluctuations exist even in the ground state and are shaped by the presence and motion of matter through a dynamical coupling. This approach reproduces general relativity in tested regimes while offering new phenomenology, including a natural explanation for galactic rotation curves without particle dark matter. Furthermore, USFT proposes a possible origin for the universal light-cone speed c via a matter-induced cutoff in vacuum fluctuation frequencies.
Gjevdet Zeciri (Tue,) studied this question.